Emergency safety marker systems

ABSTRACT

An electronic lighted safety marker system used by emergency responders to warn motorists of the presence of an accident scene ahead on or beside the roadway is provided by the invention. Such safety marker can be deployed individually or in groups by the emergency responder along the perimeter of the accident scene and ideally ahead of it along the roadway to provide adequate warning to approaching motorists to avoid the accident scene. The safety marker contains a power source, a light panel, a protective shield for the light panel, and electronic circuitry for controlling the operation of the lights in a predetermined frequency or pattern, and may be automatically actuated and self-righting when it is dropped onto the ground or other hard surface. The safety marker further includes a transmitter for sending a signal to a receiver. Upon impact with the safety marker, the signal ceases and the receiver, equipped with an alarm, triggers either or both of an audible or visual signal. The safety marker can also contain an incursion warning system against incoming vehicles, an early warning radar transponder for sending a warning message to such incoming vehicles, a GPS location detector and transmitter for providing the location of the safety marker and its associated accident scene to a central dispatcher, and a gunshot sensor for detecting the occurrence of gunfire around the accident scene and its location to provide that information to the central dispatcher.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 14/481,598filed on Sep. 9, 2014 which claims the benefit of the U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/016,407 entitled “Emergency Safety Marker System”filed on Jun. 24, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to flares used by emergency responderpersonnel to mark an accident scene to warn other people to stay away,and more specifically to electronic safety markers that may be deployedby an emergency responder without risk of physical injury whileproviding warning to that responder of any reckless motorist approachingthe accident scene.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An integral aspect of daily life is the use of motor vehicles totransport people from one location to another location. Changes in localeconomies and housing prices have compelled many people to live furtherfrom where they work, shop, or seek entertainment. This means that thenumber of vehicle miles traveled by motorists in many states and citiescontinue to climb year after year.

Efforts have been made by many states to enhance the speed, efficiency,and convenience of modern road systems. Motor vehicles have also becomesafer. Despite these efforts, however, roughly 30,000 people die invehicle accidents in the United States each year in addition to 2million other injuries arising from the more than 10 million vehicleaccidents reported annually.

Vehicle accident scenes are very dangerous, because they represent astationary obstacle amidst oncoming vehicles travelling at high speeds.Police officers, sheriff deputies, and state troopers are usually thefirst responders to arrive upon the accident scene. In addition totaking care of traumatized injured drivers and passengers in the damagedvehicles directly involved in the accident, they must set up the initialsecurity perimeter aimed at diverting oncoming motorists safely aroundthe accident scene. This can be very dangerous to law enforcementpersonnel, as well as other safety responders like ambulances,paramedics, and tow trucks. These dangers are further compounded bydarkness and inclement weather. Each year in the U.S. alone, millions oflaw enforcement officers and first responders risk their lives workingon roads, and thousands are injured or die each year in the process.

Many states have enacted “move over” laws that require drivers to slowdown or change lanes to move away from stopped emergency vehicles. Whilethese laws are meant to enhance the safety of accident scenes, too manylaw enforcement officers and other emergency responders are injured ordie due to reckless, inattentive, or impaired incoming motoristsapproaching the accident scene.

It is therefore critical that law enforcement officers and firstresponders have the necessary equipment to mark the perimeter of anaccident scene to warn approaching motorists to stay away. Moreover, itis important that such equipment be deployed in a manner that is safe tothe law enforcement officers or first responders. The most basic articleof traffic safety marker equipment is the ubiquitous orange cone orpylon. These cones or pylons are portable due to their light weight, andvisible over short distances due to their fluorescent orange color. Seee.g., U.S. Published Application 2008/0125970 filed by Scheckler. But,they are largely invisible at night, and can easily be blown or knockedover to interfere with their function as a safety hazard marker.

Another common tool used by law enforcement officers and other emergencyresponders are road-side flares. They constitute sealed containersholding phosphorescent chemicals that can be broken open to ignite thechemicals. The resulting burning fire emits a colored light that isclearly visible at night. While the flares can be dropped along theperimeter of the accident scene by the law enforcement officer, theyburn for relatively short time periods, thereby requiring replacementflares to be deployed if the accident scene is not cleared quickly. Theyalso require the law enforcement officer to walk to the edge of theaccident scene in the path of rapidly approaching motor vehicles inorder to drop the ignited flares onto the pavement.

Electronic flares exist in the market for replacing the traditionalchemical-burning phosphorescent flares. U.S. Published Application2004/0240204 filed by Russ et al. discloses such an electronic flarehaving a cylindrical housing containing a battery and plurality oflight-emitting diode (“LED”) lights positioned around the circumferenceof the housing. Such a flare merely needs to be turned on via itsswitch, and can be placed on the ground as a marker. U.S. PublishedApplication 2006/0104054 filed by Coman discloses a dome-shaped flareassembly with a flat bottom and a reflector that disperses lightradially. But, these types of electronic flares require manual actuationand deployment along the accident scene pavement, which can be dangerousin the face of high-speed oncoming traffic.

Efforts have also been made to equip law enforcement officers withhand-held light wands that can be used to direct traffic. These devicesoperate like flash lights except that a transparent tube containing aplurality of battery-powered lights extends from the handle forradiating the light for 360° viewing. The light bulbs can be LED lightsfor improved visibility. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,679 issued toChin-Fa, and U.S. Published Application 2008/0094822 filed by Hsu. Acolored reflecting tube surrounding the light bulbs can produce theappearance of colored lights for increased attention by motorists. SeeU.S. Pat. No. 5,622,423 issued to Lee. Alternatively, colored lightbulbs or colored light bulbs in combination with white light bulbs canbe employed to create sections of different colors along the light wand.See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,019 issued to Warner; U.S. Pat. No.5,697,695 issued to Lin et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,524 issued toCampman.

But in the case of a roadside accident, it may represent an inefficientuse of resources to devote a police officer to waving a hand-held lightwand to motion approaching motorists away from the accident scene. Insome cases, only one police officer may be present at the accidentscene. Therefore, a self-standing light device that can be quickly setup by the policeman on the pavement along the perimeter of the accidentscene is more convenient. Thus, the light wand can be attached to atripod base. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,441 issued to Chen; U.S.Pat. No. 7,011,423 also issued to Chen; U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,444 issuedto Lee et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,271 issued to Wang. See also U.S.Published Applications 2002/0136005 filed by Lee; 2006/0133074 filed byLai; and 2008/0036584 filed by Lang et al. In many cases, the tripodlegs are permanently attached to the light stick portion of the lightwand devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,840 issued to Uchytil et al. shows asafety warning device having a housing and pivotal leg in which abattery-powered light source disposed in a reflector to radiate lightwhich is reflected off a plurality of flexible reflective strips createsthe visual appearance of a burning incendiary flare.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,452 issued to Wang discloses a warning deviceconsisting of a tripod flash light with a pivoting head lamp. Such aportable device can be set up to direct the light source at varyingheights. U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,782 issued to Yerian substitutes aballast-filled base for the tripod legs connected to the light stickportion of the safety marker device to reduce the chances of it blowingover or getting knocked over.

In other embodiments of electronic safety markers, an electronic lightstick is structured so that it can be inserted into the top of astandard traffic cone. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,531 issued toLemelson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,729 issued to Chu; and U.S. Pat. No.5,577,824 issued to Wright. The traffic cone serves as the base for thelight stick unit.

The light source used in safety markers can also flash for addedattention and visibility. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,905,622 and 7,997,764issued to Nielson; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,370 issued to Riblett et al.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,124 issued to Daggett et al. discloses an electricalhazard warning system comprising a charging base for a couple oftransparent, cone-shaped markers containing a light bulb. Theelectronics are placed in the bottom of the marker to provide ballastfor keeping the markers upright when they are positioned on the ground.The charging base can be placed in the trunk of a police car so that themarker devices are readily available for deployment at accident scenes.

Other safety marker devices available in the industry contain a roundedbase that is filled with ballast, so that if the device is tipped over,it will stand upright again. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 1,228,615 issuedto Stafford; U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,956 issued to Messana et al.; and U.S.Pat. No. 6,808,291 issued to Aylward et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,030,929issued to Chang et al. claims to accomplish the same result using anovate (egg-shaped) housing.

Other electric safety marker devices available in the industry arecompact in their storage state. For example, U.S. Published Application2014/0096712 issued to Houle et al. teaches a hollow tetrahedron withfour vortexes formed by connecting rods. The device can be expanded fromits collapsed state to its tetrahedral state, and a light positioned onthe top vortex allows it to act as a deployable safety marker. U.S. Pat.No. 3,426,343 issued to Carlson discloses a light unit comprising a basecontaining a battery and a light bulb with a cone-shaped top that can bemanually pulled upwards to produce a red colored conical housing that islit up by the light bulb.

But all of these prior art safety markers require manual actuation anddeployment by the police officer or other emergency responder. This canexpose the police officer or other emergency responder to the risk ofphysical injury by oncoming motorists.

Still other safety marker devices are designed for rapid deployment bythrowing or dropping them onto the ground. For example, U.S. Pat. No.3,128,951 issued to Nicholl shows a substantially spherical shapedhousing that is lit up by a light bulb contained inside and can berolled along the ground. The lamp units are stored in a container, andthey automatically light up upon their removal from their container.U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,294 issued to Carboni discloses a cubic lamp boxhaving six identical sides. Light bulbs contained inside the box shinethrough windows in the housing sides. The light box is thrown along theground, and when it comes to rest on one of its sides, the lights shinethrough the resulting side and top windows.

But, because such safety marker devices can roll freely along theground, they cannot be deployed by the police officer or other emergencyresponder accurately at a particular location around the accident scenewithout being manually set in place at the desired location on theground. Again, this produces the risk of physical injury for the persondeploying the safety marker.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,115 issued to Ghahramani discloses a mine hazardmarker that is deployed on a battlefield by a tank. It comprises a masthead with a flag and spring-actuated legs. When the marker devices isdropped on to the ground by the tank or tank operator, a skid plateimpacted by the ground causes the legs to deploy using a mechanicalmechanism. No light is associated with this marker device.

Still other safety markers containing LED lights contain radio frequencyor infrared receivers. An operator can remotely turn on the lights bytransmitting a radio frequency (“RF”) or infrared (“IR”) signal. Seee.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,678 issued to Stamatatos et al., and U.S.Published Application 2011/0249430 filed by Stamatatos et al.

Other marker devices can send warning signals or messages. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 6,952,168 issued to Recko, Jr. et al. teaches an audiomodule that can be set into the top of a warning cone. The modulecontains an infrared detector and an associated warning system message.Deployed by a janitor around a wet floor, the device senses anapproaching pedestrian, and emits an audible warning message about thepotential danger posed by the wet floor. U.S. Pat. No. 7,030,777 issuedto Nelson et al. provides a cone-mounted roadway incursion alert system.A series of the devices are mounted onto traffic cones positioned arounda construction zone. When an approaching car physically hits one of thecones, an impact sensor in the device sends a warning message to theconstruction workers about the potential danger posed to them by thecar.

U.S. Published Application 2008/0125970 issued to Scheckler discloses atraffic safety pylon with a GPS-locating and RF-signaling capability. Aradio transmitter sends a signal to a central dispatcher for thelocation of the pylon based on the GPS unit contained in the pylon. Seealso U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,370 issued to Riblett et al.

Therefore, providing an electronic lighted safety marker system used byemergency responders to warn motorists on roadways to avoid an accidentscene, and that can be deployed by such emergency responders withminimal risk to their own personal safety would be highly beneficial.Such safety marker system should simultaneously provide adequate priorwarnings to motorists of the stationary accident scene, and to theemergency responders of reckless incoming motorists that may representtheir own safety hazard to the emergency responder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An electronic lighted safety marker system used by emergency respondersto warn motorists on roadways of the presence of an accident scene aheadon the roadway or beside the roadway is provided by the invention. Suchmarkers can be deployed individually or in groups by the emergencyresponder along the perimeter of the accident scene and ideally ahead ofit along the roadway to provide adequate warning to approachingmotorists to avoid the accident scene. The markers contain a powersource, a light panel, a protective shield for the light panel, andelectronic circuitry for controlling the operation of the lights in apredetermined frequency or pattern. One or more of the lights may becolored or operate in a strobe pattern for enhanced visibility for themotorists.

At the same time, the marker device has a self-righting base. Anemergency responder can manually drop or drop via an electro-mechanicaldevice the marker device from his vehicle, and have the marker devicestand up in a substantially vertical orientation after it hits theground. In this manner, the emergency responder need not leave thesafety of his vehicle to deploy the marker on or along the roadway andtherefore suffer the risk being struck by an approaching motorist.

The safety marker device should contain a low-impact sensor switchoperatively connected to the electronic circuitry to automaticallyextend the light panel to its optimal height and turn on the lights whenthe marker device strikes the ground or other hard surface. The lightsalong the light panel should preferably be visible around a 360°perimeter for enhanced visibility to approaching motorists no matterwhat is the orientation of the marker device with respect to the roadwayand motorists.

The safety marker device should also contain a high-impact sensor switchthat detects when a reckless motorist directly approaching the accidentscene hits the marker, and provides an audible warning sound or messageto the emergency responder of the potential danger represented by therapidly-approaching, out-of-control vehicle. By positioning several ofthe marker devices a predetermined distance ahead of the accident scene,the emergency responder can receive an adequate warning of the reckless,inattentive, or impaired approaching motorist with sufficient time tomove out of the way to safety and thereby avoid personal injury whileattending to the accident scene.

The safety marker devices can also contain a GPS transmitter for sendinga signal regarding the location of the marker to a central dispatchdepartment. In this manner, the central dispatch department can quicklysend emergency help to an emergency responder who is injured by anothermotorist at the accident scene. The emergency responder can also sendhis own distress signal accompanied by the GPS location coordinates tothe control dispatch department or another emergency responder to askfor help.

The safety marker device can also contain a transmitter for emitting anemergency radar signal. This transmitter constantly sends out a feedbackradar signal triggered by the deployment of the device itself that canbe received by vehicles equipped with on-board radar capabilities usedto detect objects like other cars or animals in the roadway. The safetymarker in this manner can send a warning to the driver of an oncomingvehicle to slow down or move to another lane to avoid the accident scenebefore a crash occurs. This will enhance the personal safety of thevictims of the crash scene and the emergency responders.

This GPS location identification system also enables an emergencyresponder at an emergency scene like a land slide or fallen bridge todeploy one or more of the safety marker devices to alert subsequentlydispatched emergency responders of the location of the emergency scene.This functionality allows the first emergency responder to leave theaccident scene to attend to other duties secure in the knowledge thathis backup responders will find the emergency scene.

The GPS location identification system contained in the safety markerdevices are also useful for providing guidance to approachinghelicopters. The emergency responder may position a plurality of safetymarkers around the perimeter of a safe landing zone in a field to alertvia the GPS functionality the pilot to the location of the zone in whichhe should land his helicopter safely away from hazards like overheadpower lines and trees. This is particularly useful for pilots who needto land helicopters at night or in inclement weather like fog.

The safety marker of the present invention may also comprise a hand-heldunit comprising a power source, a light panel, a protective shield forthe light panel, and electronic circuitry for controlling the operationof the lights in a predetermined frequency or pattern. One or more ofthe lights may be colored or operate in a strobe pattern for enhancedvisibility for the motorists. This hand-held unit also comprises amanually-operated actuation switch connected to the electronic circuitryfor extending the light panel and turning on the lights. The lightsalong the light panel should preferably be visible around a 360°perimeter for enhanced visibility to approaching motorists no matterwhat is the orientation of the marker device to the roadway andmotorists. The hand-held unit may be used by an emergency responder todirect traffic at an accident scene, or be mounted to the top of aconventional traffic cone to provide a deployed safety marker.Accordingly, this hand-held unit also comprises a high-impact sensorswitch that detects when a reckless motorist directly approaching theaccident scene hits the marker, and provides an audible warning sound ormessage to the emergency responder of the potential danger, as well as aGPS transmitter for sending a signal regarding the location of themarker to a central dispatch department, transmitter for emitting anfeedback radar signal to on-board radar receiver units in oncomingvehicles. By positioning several of the marker devices mounted to conesa predetermined distance ahead of the accident scene, the emergencyresponder can receive an adequate warning of a reckless, inattentive, orimpaired approaching motorist with sufficient time to move out of theway to safety and thereby avoid personal injury while attending theaccident scene, and warn the motorist ahead of time via the feedbackradar signal to slow down or switch lanes to avoid the accident scene.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an accident scene beside a roadway with theemergency safety marker system of the present invention deployed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the safety marker in its retracted,standby state.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an electrical circuit for the safetymarker.

FIG. 4 is a partial, exploded, cut-away view of the safety marker ofFIG. 2 showing its internal components.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light array wand for the safetymarker.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the light array wand of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the light arraywand for the safety marker.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the safety marker of FIG. 2 in itsextended, actuated state.

FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of the cog and gear strip assembly embodimentfor actuating the extension of the safety marker.

FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the gas propellant assembly embodiment foractuating the extension of the safety marker.

FIG. 11 is a cut-away view of the spring assembly embodiment foractuating the extension of the safety marker.

FIG. 12 is a cut-away view of the jack screw assembly embodiment foractuating the extension of the safety marker.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of two of the safety markers of thepresent invention stored in the trunk of a police car in a chargedstate.

FIG. 14 is a view of two of the safety markers of the present inventionstored in a rack secured to the back cage of the interior of a policecar in a charged state.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a police car equipped with aremotely-actuated, rotated-cradle bumper deployment system for thesafety marker of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the storage/discharge housing for thebumper deployment system shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a side cut-away view of the storage/discharge housing shownin FIG. 16 with a safety marker shown stored in it.

FIG. 18 is a top cut-away view of the storage/discharge housing shown inFIG. 17 with both of the safety markers shown stored in it.

FIG. 19A is a side view of the cradle and cog wheel assembly for thebumper deployment system with the safety marker in its stored condition.

FIG. 19B is a side view of the cog wheel of FIG. 19A rotating the cradleto discharge the safety marker.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a police car equipped with aremotely-actuated, breakable housing bumper deployment system for thesafety marker of the present invention.

FIG. 21 a cut-away view of the breakable housing and squib-actuatedpiston assembly for the bumper deployment system of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 a cut-away view of the breakable housing and spring-actuatedpiston assembly for the bumper deployment system of FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a utility truck equipped with aremotely-actuated, gravity drop deployment system for the safety markerof the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the vertical storage housing for thegravity drop deployment system of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the vertical storage housing of analternative embodiment for the gravity drop deployment system of FIG.23.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the safety marker system of the presentinvention deployed adjacent to a damaged bridge.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the safety marker system of the presentinvention deployed to mark a landing zone for a helicopter.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a hand-held safety marker of thepresent invention that can be mounted to the top of a traffic safetycone to create a deployed safety marker at an accident scene.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the hand-held safety marker of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a side cut-away view of the hand-held safety marker of FIG.29.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An electronic lighted safety marker system used by emergency respondersto warn motorists of the presence of an accident scene ahead on orbeside the roadway is provided by the invention. Such markers can bedeployed individually or in groups by the emergency responder along theperimeter of the accident scene and ideally ahead of it along theroadway to provide adequate warning to approaching motorists to avoidthe accident scene. The markers contain a power source, a light panel, aprotective shield for the light panel, and electronic circuitry forcontrolling the operation of the lights in a predetermined frequency orpattern. One or more of the lights may be colored or operate in a strobepattern for enhanced visibility for the motorists. The markers can alsocontain: a self-righting base that causes the marker to automaticallyreturn to its vertical position after it has been dropped by anemergency responder onto the ground or knocked or blown over afterdeployment; a low-impact sensor switch operatively connected to theelectronic circuitry to automatically extend the light panel from itsretracted, standby position to its extended, actuated position to itsoptimal height and turn on the lights when the marker device strikes theground or other hard surface; a high-impact sensor switch that detectswhen a reckless motorist directly approaching the accident scene hitsthe marker, and provides an audible warning sound or message to theemergency responder of the potential incoming danger; a GPS transmitterfor sending a signal regarding the location of the marker to a centraldispatch department, so that the dispatcher can quickly send emergencyhelp to an emergency responder who is injured by an incoming motorist atthe accident scene; and a transmitter for constantly sending out afeedback radar signal triggered by the deployment of the device itselfthat can be received by vehicles equipped with on-board radarcapabilities to warn the driver of an oncoming vehicle to slow down ormove to another lane to avoid the accident scene before a crash occurs.When deployed at an accident scene, this safety marker provides a highlyvisible warning to oncoming motorists to slow down or switch lanes toavoid a crash with the vehicle at the accident scene, while alsoallowing the emergency responder to deploy the safety marker withoutjeopardizing his physical safety, and warn him of incoming recklessdrivers that might cause further injury to him. The safety marker devicemay be capable of standing on its own at the accident scene, orconstitute a hand-held device with a capability for mounting it to thetop of a traffic cone for use at an accident scene. The safety markermay also be equipped with a gunshot sensor that detects the occurrenceof a potential gunshot, transmitting a warning message to the centraldispatcher along with the GPS location coordinates for the deployedsafety marker and the potentially shot emergency responder.

In the context of the present application, “roadway” means a highway,freeway, road, street, rural or county route, or other paved or unpavedsurface public way used by motor vehicles.

For purposes of the present invention, “emergency responder” means aperson whose job is to respond to a stopped motor vehicle or vehiclesalong a roadway and attend to their safety needs, such as a policeman,state trooper, sheriff, deputy sheriff, ambulance, paramedic, fireman,or tow truck operator. Emergency responders also include non-officialpersonnel like utility equipment repairmen, road construction crews, androad maintenance crews.

For purposes of this application, “accident scene” means a motor vehicleor motor vehicles on or adjacent to a roadway that have been stoppedbecause of an accident or crash, flat tire, engine stall or disabledcondition, medical emergency suffered by a driver or passenger in themotor vehicle, or other problem or emergency experienced by a vehicle orpersons inside such vehicle.

The safety marker system 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1.A passenger car 12 stopped by the side of roadway 14 with a flat tire isattended to by police car 16. Police car 16 has a flasher 18 on its top,which is used by the policeman to visually warn approaching motorists toslow down and ideally move from the right-hand lane 20 to the saferleft-hand lane 22 for passing the stopped passenger car and police carand their occupants. For purposes of this invention, passenger car 14could be stopped along the roadway for any of a number of other possiblereasons, including a stalled or disabled engine or its components, emptygas tank, accident with another car or truck, stoppage by the police carfor violation of a law, medical emergency, or another reason for needingassistance. The point is that passenger car 14 and police car 16attending to the passenger car and its occupants are stationary on orbeside roadway 12, and therefore represent a potential hazard toapproaching motorists who are passing at high speeds, particularly toapproaching drivers who are tired, distracted, or inattentive. Forpurposes of this invention, any of these scenarios involving a stoppedcar on or beside a roadway is considered to be an “accident scene”.

A plurality of safety markers 30 of the present invention have beenpositioned by the policeman on the roadway 14 around the accident sceneto provide an additional visual warning to approaching motorists. Thesafety markers 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, and 30 f are positionedalong roadway 14 in a conventional manner with markers 30 b, 30 c, and30 d positioned to gradually block incoming traffic from right-hand lane20, and divert it to left-hand lane 22. Safety markers 30 e and 30 f areposition on roadway 12 to cause approaching motorists to continue todrive in left-hand lane 22, so that right-hand lane 30 is free oftraffic to provide a buffer between the passenger car 14 and police car16 and their occupants from the passing traffic. This buffer providesadditional safety to the policeman who may need to walk along theroadway 12 and the accident scene to attend to the occupants ofpassenger car 12, clear vehicular debris from the roadway, orinvestigate and gather evidence at the accident scene. As a furthersafety measure, safety mark 30 a is positioned beside roadway 12physically behind police car 16, so that it will be struck by a tired,inattentive, or impaired approaching motorist before that motorist cancrash into the police car. This ability to detect a physical incursionby an approaching motorist into the buffer space set up by the safetymarkers 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, and 30 f around the accident scenerepresents an important feature of the safety marker system 10 of thepresent invention.

Safety marker 30 is shown in its retracted, standby position in FIG. 2.It compromises a base 32 having a lower housing 34 and an upper housing36. Upper housing 36 has an inlet hole 38 along its top surface forreceipt of light array assembly 40.

Light array assembly 40 comprises a stanchion tube 42 that is fixed in avertical orientation to upper housing 36 of the base 32 via inlet hole38. Positioned inside the interior region of a stanchion tube 42 is alight array wand 44 for linear movement between its retracted, standbyposition (FIG. 2) and its telescopically extended, actuated positionshown in FIG. 8, as described more fully below (with only its top-mostportion shown in FIG. 2).

The functional components of the safety marker 30 are depicted in theelectrical circuit diagram 49 shown in FIG. 3. A source of electricitylike a battery 50 provides electrical current in circuitry 52 to asensor activation switch 54. This switch is activated when the base 32of safety marker 30 strikes the ground or other hard surface, such aswhen the safety marker is dropped from a position above ground.Actuation of the sensor switch 54 will close it to allow current 52 toflow to mechanism 56 for extending light array wand 44 vertically fromstanchion tube 42 of the safety marker, as well as to turn on theplurality of light bulbs 58 contained in light array wand 44. Whenvertically extended and lighted, actuated safety marker 30 provides avisual warning to oncoming motorists of an accident scene ahead that ison or beside the roadway 14.

Current 52 in safety marker 30 will also flow through the circuit toopened sensor switch 60. This sensor switch 60 is located inside lightarray wand 44, preferably near its upper end. If an oncoming motoristwho is tired, distracted, or reckless strikes the deployed safety marker30 with his vehicle, the impact will actuate sensor switch 60 to closeit, thereby allowing electrical current 52 to flow to screamer mechanism62. This screamer mechanism 62 comprises a sound module for producing anaudible warning sound or message to alert the policemen or otheremergency responder at the accident scene of the potential danger posedto his personal safety by the rapidly approaching motorist.

In an alternate embodiment, the safety marker can be equipped with atransmitter and the emergency vehicle can be equipped with a receiverand alarm (sound and/or light). Alternatively, the receiver can belocated near on the emergency responder. The transmitter continuallysends a signal to the receiver. Upon impact of a vehicle or other objectwith the safety marker, the impact is recognized by the safety markerand the signal is no longer transmitted by the transmitter or receivedby the receiver, causing the receiver to sound or signal an alarm,warning the emergency responder. (If the impact between the vehicle andsafety marker destroys the safety marker, the effect is the same—thesignal is no longer transmitted by the transmitter or received by thereceiver, causing the alarm to issue.)

The advantage of this alternate arrangement is that destruction of thesafety marker nevertheless assures a warning signal will issue. Further,the location of the alarm in the emergency vehicle puts it closer to theemergency responder, making it more likely the emergency responder willhear or see the alarm.

Finally, electrical current 52 flows to location detector andtransmitter 64. This is preferably a GPS transponder that appliestriangulation from multiple cellular towers to determine the physicallocation of the safety marker 30, and automatically transmit thelocation coordinates to another party, such as a police station centraldispatcher, who can then contact the policemen or other emergencyresponder at the accident scene to determine whether that person hasbeen struck or injured by the oncoming motorist, and send emergencyassistance where required. By receiving the GPS location coordinatestransmitted by the safety marker 30, the central dispatcher can send theemergency assistance to the correct accident scene with confidence.Because of its circuitry 49, the location detector and transmitter 64 isonly activated if the screamer mechanism is activated by the sensorswitch 60. At the same time, it is only powered if the safety marker 30is deployed by the emergency responder to extend the light array wand 44and turn on the lights 58 by closing sensor switch 54 when the base ofthe safety marker strikes the ground or other hard surface.

The base 32 of safety marker 30 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4.Lower housing 34 comprises a housing 70 having a partition wall 71 thatdivides it into lower chamber 74 and upper chamber 76. Lower chamber 74is filled with a plurality of weighted pellets 75 such as lead shot orplastic polymer pellets that provides a “self-righting” feature to thesafety marker 30 by lowering its center of gravity, as discussed morefully below. The lower housing 34 is preferably bowl-shaped with arounded bottom, so that if the safety marker falls or is tipped onto itsside, the weighted pellets contained inside lower chamber 74 will causethe safety marker to automatically roll along its rounded bottom surfaceto a vertical upright position. But lower housing 34 could have a shapeother than a bowl-like shape, such as a triangular, cylindrical, orsquare prism as long as any bottom edges are rounded to permit thesafety marker to roll to its upright position.

Fitted inside upper chamber 76 is battery bay 78 contained withinhousing 80. A plurality of batteries 50 are positioned inside thisbattery bay, such as in a circular arrangement around stabilization rod82. These batteries are wired together and connected to contact strip 84located on the top exterior surface of lower housing 34 to provide asource of electrical current to the safety marker 30, including to itslight bulbs 58 in the light array wand 44. The batteries could bealternatively deployed inside upper housing 76 in a linear or stackedarrangement. The batteries may be replaceable. Alternatively, they maybe rechargeable with a plug 81 provided in the sidewall 80 of lower basehousing 34 for a power cord. By positioning the batteries 50 in upperchamber 76 of base 32, they are protected from moisture and otheradverse weather elements.

Alternatively, batteries 50 can be positioned inside lower chamber 74 tofurther lower the center of mass of the safety marker 30 to enable itsself-righting feature. A smaller amount of weighted pellets 75 may berequired inside lower chamber 74 due to the weight contributed by thebatteries 50, or the weighted pellets may be eliminated entirely.

The electrical power requirement for safety marker 30 will depend uponthe number and nature of the electrical components that need to beenergized, and the desired duration of deployment, particularly in thedark when the on-board solar panel 104 cannot provide supplementalelectrical power. The total battery capacity should be 5-50V, preferably10-30V so that the safety marker may be deployed at the accident scenefor at least four hours without running out of its electrical charge.

Instead of a solid plastic material, housing 70 may constitute aprotective boot 70 made from a high-impact resistant, but elastomericmaterial like natural or synthetic rubber or a polymer material likesilicone, acrylonitrile butadiene (“ABS”), or high-impact polystyrene.Such material has a pliable characteristic that becomes deformed whenthe base 32 of the safety marker 30 strikes the ground or other hardsurface. The protective boot 70 also protects the components containedinside the lower housing 34 from rain, snow, dirt, rocks, grime, orother elements.

Also positioned inside lower chamber 74 of lower housing 34 islow-impact sensor switch 86 that provides the functionality of sensorswitch 54 shown in FIG. 3. This low-impact sensor switch 86 should bepositioned relatively close to the bottom of the safety marker and willbe discussed more fully below.

Upper housing 36 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4. It comprises aprotective housing 90 made from a high impact-resistant plastic polymerlike polystyrene, polyethylene, nylon, or other suitable material thatprovides stability to the components contained inside upper housing,protection from the weather elements, and protection from impact if thesafety marker should fall onto the ground or its side.

Contained inside this housing 90 are electronics bay 92 and GPS bay 94.Electronics bay 92 in turn contains a plurality of circuit boards 96that provide the necessary electronic circuitry for the operation ofsafety marker 30. This includes the circuitry 98 connected to thelow-impact sensor switch 86 that in turn is located in the battery bay78; the screamer module 100 and its circuitry connected to thehigh-impact sensor switch 102 that in turn is located near the top ofthe light array wand 44; and early-warning radar transponder 104 and itscircuitry that transmits a warning signal to on-board radar signalreceivers that that are increasingly available in automobiles as asafety feature. Such on-board receivers will receive and communicate tothe oncoming driver a transmitted warning signal or message for theaccident scene ahead along the roadway to enhance the chances of thedriver slowing down his speed or switching to the left-hand lane inorder to exercise caution when passing the accident scene. Thesefeatures of the safety marker 30 will be described more fully below.

Mounted to the exterior of the housing 90 is a small solar panel 106that captures sunlight and converts it into on-board photovoltaic powerfor the safety marker. Circuitry contained inside the electronics bay 92provides this photovoltaic power as electric current to the circuitboards 96 and electronic components contained inside the safety markerto extend the battery life of the safety marker.

GPS bay 94 contains GPS location detector and transmitter 64 describedmore fully below for producing location coordinates for the safetymarker. This data is transmitted to a central dispatcher as describedabove for providing an accurate location of the accident scene in casebackup assistance needs to be sent to the emergency responders at theaccident scene.

Screamer speaker 108 is mounted to the exterior of housing 90 adjacentto the GPS bay. This speaker is connected via its electrical circuit toscreamer module 62 to emit the emergency warning sound or message if anoncoming motorist strikes the safety marker 30 near the accident sceneand actuates high-impact sensor witch 60. This warning sound or messageenables the emergency responder at the accident scene to jump to a safelocation to avoid physical injury.

GPS bay 94 and electronics bay 92 are stacked one on top of the otherinside upper housing 90. Contacts strip 110 located along the bottomsurface of the upper housing engages contacts strip 84 located along thetop surface of the lower housing 80 so that when the upper housing isoperatively connected to the lower housing, a unified electrical circuitis produced containing battery 50, circuit boards 96, low-impact sensorswitch 86, high-impact sensor switch 60, screamer module 62, locationdetector and transmitter 64, radar warning transmitter 104, and lights58. A plurality of contact strips 112 mounted to the plurality ofcircuit boards 96 connects them to each other electrically. Finally,stabilization rod 82 passes through upper housing 90 and lower housing80 and the GPS bay 94, electronics bay 92, and battery bay 78 containedtherein to provide proper orientation of the components and lateralstability around the vertical axis provided by the stabilization rod 82.Stabilization rod 82 is securely connected to partition wall 71 in lowerbase housing 34 to hold all of the components together.

Light array wand 44 is shown more fully in FIGS. 5-7. It comprises lightarray panel 46 contained inside transparent carrier tube 48. Light arraypanel 46 comprises a core substrate 50, which can adopt any suitableshape such as a cylinder, a square prism (see FIG. 6), or a triangularprism (see FIG. 7). It preferably is three-dimensional for providingmultiple surfaces for lights that are visible in 360°. Carrier tube 48is preferably cylindrical with a circular cross section since such ashape will accommodate a square prism, triangular prism, or cylindricalcore substitute 50. But, carrier tube 48 may adopt any other shape suchas a square, triangular, or rectangular cross section that is capable ofcontaining the shape of core substrate 50, and protecting it from theweather elements (i.e., rain, snow, sunshine, heat).

Positioned along the exterior surface of core substrate 50 is aplurality of light bulbs 52. These light bulbs 52 may compromiseincandescent, LED, CFL, fluorescent lamps, or any other suitable emitterof light. The light bulbs 52 may be positioned in one or more columnsalong each exterior face of the core substrate 50. They may also bepositioned in a single row or multiple rows along the exterior faces ofthe core substrate 50. Preferably, the light bulbs 52 are positionedsufficiently around the perimeter of core substitute 50 to enable thecore substrate to emit light in an arc of 90-360°, preferably 150-360°,even more preferably 360°. In this manner, an approaching motorist willsee the warning light emitted by the light bulbs 52 positioned alongcore substrate 50 regardless of the specific orientation of the safetymarker 30 positioned along roadway 12 with respect to the angle of theapproaching motorist. Light output is measured primarily in lumens. Asingle LED bulb can produce from 2 to 200 lumens in light outputdepending upon how it is driven. Adding more individual LED bulbs willincrease the lumen output. The light bulbs 58 contained in the lightarray wand should produce approximately 2 to 20,000 lumens of lightoutput.

Carrier tube 48 should be made from a material that is transparent orsemi-transparent and durable. The light 52 must readily shine throughthis carrier tube for optimal visibility. At the same time, the carriertube 48 should be sufficiently impact-resistant to protect thecomponents contained inside it if the safety marker 30 should be struckby an oncoming vehicle, or otherwise knocked onto the ground. Acrylic,polycarbonate, or clear ABS plastics are a good choices. But any otherplastic polymer or other material exhibiting these characteristics maybe used.

The light bulbs 58 contained in the light array wand 44 may be coloredfor added visibility to the approaching motorist. For example, the lightbulbs may be red or blue, which are colors reserved for police and otherlaw enforcement officials. Alternatively, the light array may be brokenup into alternating segments of red and blue lamps. In anotheralternative embodiment, all the lamps in the light array may be whitewith the transparent carrier tube 48 instead colored red or blue oralternating red and blue segments.

Because the safety marker 30 of the present invention is also useful fornon-law enforcement personnel, such as tow truck operators, roadconstruction crews, or utility equipment repairmen, the light array maycontain instead yellow light bulbs 58. Alternatively, it may containwhite light bulbs shining through a yellow-colored transparent carriertube 48. Yellow safety warning lights are widely associated by motoristswith a construction or repair scene that requires motorists to slowtheir speed to pass or switch to a lane further away from the stoppedvehicles to pass.

To add further visibility to the safety marker 30 of the presentinvention, the lights 58 contained in the extended light array panel 46may blink on and off in a constant or timed cycle. A strobe light beacon56 may also be positioned on top of the light array wand 44 to emit apulsating white light.

To address reduced night-time visibility, one or more bands 59 offluorescent color like orange, yellow, or green may be positioned alongthe circumference of stanchion tube 42. The bands will be reflected bythe headlights of approaching motorists. They may be provided to thestanchion tube by means of paint or reflective tape.

In order to further help approaching motorists to notice the presence ofthe safety marker 30 along the roadway 12, an array of lights, such asLED strobe bulbs 60, may be positioned around the perimeter of the base32. The pulsating lights, especially if colored, will be noticeable froma distance.

A day/night switch 117 may be mounted to the base housing 90. LED bulbs58 in particular need to be bright enough during daylight hours to beseen by oncoming motorists. But, their high lumen intensity often makesthem too bright during nighttime hours. Thus, this switch 117 may beintegrated with the circuitry for the lights 58 to either turn off someof the light bulbs during nighttime deployment hours, turn on and offseparate sets of light bulbs having different wattages for daylightversus nighttime hours (higher wattages for daylight, lower wattages fornighttime), or act to reduce the voltage directed to the light bulbs todim their lumen intensity.

While the visibility to approaching motorists of the safety marker 30and the usage of a possibility of such marker in the safety markersystem 10 is an important feature of the present invention, even moreimportant is the ability of emergency responders to safely deploy themarkers 30 along the roadway 12 around the accident scene withoutsubjecting themselves to injury or death by inattentive, impaired,incapacitated, or reckless approaching motorists. Therefore, the safetymarker 30 should be preferably be capable of being dropped by theemergency responder onto the pavement and automatically actuated to itsextended, lighted status without the emergency responder having to getout of his vehicle.

FIG. 8 shows the safety marker 30 of the present invention in itsextended, activated state. The light array wand 44 is extendedvertically from the stanchion tube 42. This causes the plurality oflight bulbs 58 on core substrate 50 to shine through transparent carriertube 48 at a higher elevation that is more noticeable to an approachingmotorist. Instead of having to look for a conventional safety markerlike a flare or low-profile LED lamp that is short and therefore closerto the pavement of roadway 14, the lights 58 of the safety marker 30 ofthe present invention are positioned along the upper region of anextended safety marker that is approximately 2.5 to 3 feet tall from theground. This is closer to the line of sight of the approaching motorist.

The inlet hole 38 in the top of the upper base housing 36 accommodatesthe light array wand assembly 40 of the safety marker 30. The insidediameter of this inlet hole should be approximately the same size as theoutside diameter of stanchion tube 42. In this manner, the lower end ofstanchion tube 42 may be securely held in place by inlet hole 38, asfurther laterally supported by stabilization rod 82 that extendsvertically from the lower base housing 34 and upper base housing 36 intothe core substrate 46 of the light array wand 44. Stanchion tube 42 willdefine the vertical axis A-A, and provide support to light array wand40, which travels inside the stanchion tube between its standby positionand extended position along the vertical axis A-A.

The triggering mechanism for the automatic extension of the light arraywand 44 and actuation of the lights 58 contained inside the safetymarker 30 is low-impact sensor switch 54/86 located inside lower chamber74 in lower base housing 34. It comprises a disturbance sensitivityswitch, shock switch, inertia switch, contact switch, or tilt switch,such as the ones available from Select Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, N.Y.This low-impact sensor switch 90 is designed to detect instances ofsudden impact or severe vibration when the base 32 or side of the safetymarker 30 hits the ground or other hard surface. Similar to airbagdeployment sensors or car alarm sensors used in vehicles, thisshock/impact sensor outputs a value that represents the severity of theimpact or severe vibration experienced by the safety marker, andcompares this value against a preprogrammed threshold valueapproximating the impact when the safety marker is dropped from a heightof about 2.5 feet from the ground or other hard surface. The switchshould preferably be positioned inside the lower chamber 74 of the lowerbase housing 32 adjacent to the bottom or side wall. When the markerbase hits the ground or other hard surface, the slightly pliablematerial of the bottom or side wall gives way to enable the impact toactivate the switch.

Shock sensors share technology types with accelerometers and vibrationsensors. Shock may be measured using piezoelectric or piezoresistivemeans, as well as strain gages.

Piezoelectric sensors represent one of the most widely used sensor typesfor shock measurements due to their inherent ruggedness andadaptability. This type of sensor relies upon a piezoelectric materiallike a quartz crystal or polycrystalline ceramic material to sensechanges in force. The piezoelectric effect refers to the accumulation ofan electrical charge in the material due to mechanical stress.Piezoelectric shock sensors use some type of piezoelectric material inclose proximity to a solid mass. When forces are applied to the device,the material responds to the compression or strain provided by the mass.Due to Newton's Second Law of Motion (F=m·a), the change in electriccharge within the material is equal to the force acting against it,thereby allowing the sensor to effectively measure the shock imposedupon the dropped safety marker when it hits the ground.

Piezoresistive sensors are similar to piezoelectric sensors, except thattheir output is measured at a change in resistance, instead of electriccharge. They are typically manufactured as semiconductors with separateresistive circuits for each axis to be measured. Each axis includesmultiple piezoresistors that decrease their resistive value when forceis applied. Piezoresistive accelerometers intended for shock and impactmeasurement are usually designed to include semiconductor strain gagesfor stability. This type of sensor is typically selected forapplications that require the measurement of steady, long-durationshocks.

If the force of impact or shock measured by low-impact sensor switch54/86 when the dropped safety mark 30 hits the ground or other hardsurface meets or exceeds the preprogrammed volume for a 2.5-3.0 footdrop, the sensor will close switch 54 (see FIG. 3) to send electricalcurrent 52 to light array wand extension and light actuation mechanism56 to extend the light array wand 44 vertically from its contracted,standby position inside stanchion tube 40 (see FIG. 2) to its extendedposition shown in FIG. 8.

There are several different embodiments available under the safetymarker 30 of the present invention for this mechanism 56 for extendingthe light array wand 44, as shown in FIG. 8. For example, FIG. 9 shows acog and gear strip assembly 120. The light array wand assembly 40surrounded by carrier tube 48 moves vertically within stanchion tube 42,defining chamber 122 within the stanchion tube 42 below the light arraywand assembly. An annular region 124 is formed between stanchion tube 42and carrier tube 48. Formed around the bottom circumference of carriertube 48 is lip 126 which abuts shoulders 128 formed within the interiorsurface of stanchion tube 42 when the light array wand assembly 40 isvertically extended. Secured vertically along the exterior surface ofcarrier tube 48 is gear strip 130 which comprises a solid substratehaving a plurality of apertures 132 formed therein in a vertical array.Mounted to stanchion tube 42 and extending partially into the annularregion 124 is drive gear 134. A servo motor 136 (not shown) turns thisdrive gear along an axis extending from the servo motor. Teeth 138formed around the perimeter of the drive gear engages the apertures 132within gear strip 130.

When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its switch tosend electrical current to servo motor 136 to cause it to start torotate drive gear 134. The rotating teeth 138 engaging the plurality ofapertures 132 in gear strip along carrier tube 48 causes the light arraywand assembly 40 to move vertically within stanchion tube 42 untilperimeter lip 126 carrier tube 48 abuts the shoulders 128 formed withinstanchion tube 42 to halt the upward movement of the light array wandassembly 40. At this point the light array wand assembly of the safetymarker is in its fully extended configuration. Spring-loaded release pin138 extending partially into chamber 122 engages the bottom surface oflip 126 of the carrier tube to support the light array wand assembly inits fully extended position. Meanwhile, female contacts embedded withinthe sidewall of carrier tube 48 make electrical contact with malecontacts positioned along the sidewall of stanchion tube 42 to completethe electrical circuit for delivering current to lights 52 containedinside light wand 44.

When the emergency responder wishes to return the light array wand toits standby position after the accident scene is cleared, he simplydisengages the release pin 138 to allow the light array wand to bemanually pushed down into the stanchion tube 42. The clutch in the servomotor 136 has disengaged when the light wand has reached its extendedposition. Thus, it provides no resistance to the drive gear 134 whichrotates freely as the light array wand is pushed down to its retracted,standby position.

Alternatively, the actuator mechanism 54 may compromise the gaspropellant embodiment shown in FIG. 10. The structure of the stanchiontube 42 and carrier tube 48 are similar to the FIG. 9 embodiment exceptthat a cup seal 142 extends along the bottom surface of the carrier tube48 to seal the light array wand assembly 40 from chamber 122 formedinside stanchion tube 42. A small cylinder 144 filled with a compressedgas like carbon dioxide is located inside chamber 122. Firing pin 146extends inside the throat 148 of the cylinder to serve as a valve forclosing the cylinder to prevent the compressed gas from escaping.Linkage 148 is connected in a pivotable relationship at its one end tothe top of the firing pin 146, and at its other end in a pivotablerelationship to solenoid actuator 150.

When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54,86 closes its switch tosend electrical current to solenoid actuator 150. This solenoid actuatorin turn causes the end of linkage 140 to which it is connected to belowered, raising in the process the other end of the linkage to pullfiring pin 146 out of the throat of the gas cylinder 144 to open thevalve. This allows the compressed gas contained inside the cylinder toescape inside chamber 122. This gas escapes in a short, quick burstbecause the solenoid actuator 150 quickly acts to raise its end of thelinkage 148 to lower the other end and cause the firing pin to close thecylinder once again. The released burst of compressed gas pushes againstthe cup seal 142 to raise the light array wand inside stanchion tube 42until it reaches its fully extended position when lips 126 of thecarrier tube abut shoulders 128 in stanchion tube. Release pin 138supports the light array wand in its vertically extended position.Mating female and male contacts complete the electrical circuit todeliver electric current to lights 52 inside the light array wand, asbefore.

A pressure relief valve 152 inside the stanchion tube 42 enables theemergency responder to evacuate the escaped compressed gas from chamber122 so he can manually push the light array wand 44 back to itsretracted, standby position when the accident scene is cleared.

A spring embodiment 160 for the actuator mechanism 54 is shown in FIG.11. The structure of the stanchion tube 42 and carrier tube 48 aresimilar to the FIG. 9 embodiment. A compression spring 162 is disposedinside chamber 122 between the bottom wall of stanchion tube 42 andretaining member 164 disposed below the bottom surface of the carriertube 48 containing the light array wand 44. An electronic solenoidoperates actuator arm 166 connected to hook 168 which engages recess 170formed in the bottom surface of retaining member 164.

When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its switch tosend electrical current to the solenoid actuator 100. This solenoidactuator in turn causes the actuator arm 166 to move to disengage hook168 from recess 170 in the retaining member 164. This allows thecompression spring 162 to expand to its fully length, using its storedenergy to push against the bottom surface of the light array wand toraise it inside stanchion tube 42 to its extended position when lips 126of the carrier tube abut shoulders 128 in stanchion tube. Release pin138 supports the light array wand in its vertically extended position.Mating female and male contacts complete the electrical circuit todeliver electric current to lights 52 inside the light array wand, asbefore.

The emergency responder can push the light array wand down to itsretracted, standby position after the accident scene is cleared,compressing spring 162 in the process. Hook 168 will engage the springonce again to retain it in its compressed state.

A jack screw embodiment 180 for the actuator mechanism 54 is shown inFIG. 12. The structure of the stanchion tube 42 and carrier tube 48 aresimilar to the FIG. 9 embodiment. A base support 182 is mounted to thebottom surface of the carrier tube 48 of the light array wand 44. Athreaded column 184 contained inside chamber 122 is attached at itsupper end to the base support 182. The bottom end of the threaded column184 is operably secured to a motor 186 also contained inside chamber122.

When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its switch tosend electrical current to motor 186. The energized motor rotatesthreaded column 184 to raise base support 182 and with it the lightarray wand inside stanchion tube 42 to its extended position when lips126 of the carrier tube abut shoulders 128 in stanchion tube. Releasepin 138 supports the light array wand in its vertically extendedposition. Mating female and male contacts complete the electricalcircuit to deliver electric current to lights 52 inside the light arraywand, as before.

When the emergency responder wishes to return the light array wand inthe safety marker to its retracted, standby position after the accidentscene is cleared, he causes the motor 186 to turn the threaded column184 in the opposite direction.

The lower chamber 74 of the lower base housing 34 is filled with aplurality of weighted pellets, such as lead shot or plastic polymerpellets. These weighted pellets act to lower the center of gravity ofthe safety marker 30. In this manner, when the safety marker is droppedonto the roadway 14 or other hard surface, it will stand upright as therounded, weighted bottom surface rolls along the roadway, even if itinitially lands on its side or at an angle with respect to its verticalaxis A-A. This self-righting feature enables the emergency responder todrop the safety marker 30 at the desired location around the accidentscene perimeter with confidence that it will come to rest deployed alongits vertical axis A-A. The emergency responder does not need to get outof his vehicle to manually deploy the safety marker in a verticalorientation, where he might subject himself to the danger of beingstruck by an approaching motorist.

A plurality of batteries 50 are positioned around stabilization rod 82in upper chamber 74 of lower base housing 34. These batteries are wiredtogether to provide the necessary electrical power source to the lightbulbs 52 of the light array wand 44. The batteries may be replaceable.Alternatively, they may be rechargeable with a plug 81 provided in thesidewall 80 of lower base housing 34 for a power cord. By positioningthe batteries 50 in upper chamber 76 of base 32, they are protected frommoisture and other adverse weather elements. They alternatively may beplaced inside lower chamber 74 to provide their collective weight tofurther lower the center of gravity of the safety marker 30 to enhanceits self-righting capability and reduce the amount of weighted pelletsrequired.

The sidewall 80 of battery bay 78 of base 32 is made from a suitableimpact-resistant material like polystyrene plastic. This will help toabsorb the impact of the dropped safety marker 30 by the ground or otherhard surface to protect the unit, itself, as well as the electronicscontained inside the unit over a prolonged time period of usage.

Instead of low-impact sensor switch 54/86, the safety marker 30 may beequipped with two contact plates 72 and 73 positioned across lowerchamber 74 inside lower base housing 34 (see FIG. 4). These contactplates are made from a flexible metal like copper or gold. The platesare positioned in the substantially parallel alignment with each otherapproximately 0.25-2.0 inches from the bottom surface of the boot 70 inbase 32. The plates should be approximately 0.20-1.0 inches from eachother and are connected to the electronic circuitry of the safety marker(see FIG. 3). When the safety marker 30 is dropped onto the ground, theimpact causes deformation of the elastomeric material in boot 70 todeflect contact plate 72 against contact plate 73. The weighted pelletscontained inside lower chamber 74 may also be pushed by the deformedbottom boot surface 70 to deflect contact plate 72 against contact plate73. By the two contact plate's surfaces coming into contact with eachother, the electrical circuit is completed to deliver electrical current52 to actuation mechanism 56 for extending the light panel 44 andturning on lights 58 in the deployed safety marker. These contact platesmay be used in lieu of the low-impact sensor switch 54/86, or as abackup to the sensor switch.

The safety marker 30 may also contain a manually-operated switch 116located in the sidewall 90 of upper housing 36 (see FIG. 4). Containedinside electronics bay 92, this manual switch 116 enables the emergencyresponder to manually extend the light wand 44 and/or turn on lights 58.

As shown in FIG. 3, this switch 66 bypasses sensor switch 54 to deliverelectrical current 52 to actuation device 56 for extending the lightwand 44 and turning on lights 58. Alternatively, switch 68 bypasses bothsensor switch 54 and actuation device 56 if the emergency responder onlywishes to turn on lights 58 without extending light wand 44. This manualswitch 116 constitutes a flush-mounted, sealed, and waterproofed switchset within the housing wall like a microwave switch.

Low-impact sensor switch 54/86 or manual on-off switch 116 may have adelay circuit built into it so that a predetermined delay period (e.g.,5-15 seconds) occurs after the switch is actuated before the associatedfunctionality in the safety marker (i.e. light wand extension or turningon the lights) is in turn actuated. This delay feature enhances safetyfor the emergency responder so that he is not blinded by the lightssuddenly being turned on, or have his eye accidently poked by theextended light wand. At the same time, the delay period should be shortenough in duration so that the resulting actuation of the safetymarker's functionality is rapid enough to ensure the emergency responderthat the unit is working properly.

Another important feature of the safety marker 30 of the presentinvention for enhancing the safety and well-being of an emergencyresponder at an accident scene is its incursion detection system. Ahigh-impact sensor switch 60 is preferably positioned inside the lightarray wand 44 near its upper end, as shown in FIG. 8. Any recklesslydriven, oncoming vehicle is likely to strike the deployed safety markerwith its light array wand extended roughly to the height of the frontbumper or axle of most vehicles. In this manner, the high-impact sensorswitch 60 will be proximate to the oncoming vehicle's bumper in order toenhance its actuation.

The high-impact sensor switch 60 comprises an inertia switch or a shocksensor switch, such as the ones available from Select Controls, Inc. ofBohemia, N.Y. The high-impact sensor switch 60 operates similarly to thelow-impact sensor switch 54/86 described above. It measures the degreeof impact created on the safety marker by an incoming motor vehicledriven by an inattentive, impaired, or reckless motorist hitting thesafety marker, and may be adjusted for a predetermined triggering speedthreshold. If the impact exceeds the equivalent of, e.g., twenty milesper hours, then the high-impact sensor switch 60 will actuate via aseparate switch in the circuitry an on-board screamer device 62 which isconnected to a speaker 108 mounted to the base of the safety marker 30.The screamer device 62 will emit via, e.g., a computer-actuated soundchip a loud wailing sound or audible warning message that can be heardby the emergency responder. By prepositioning the safety marker 30 apredetermined distance from the accident scene towards the oncomingtraffic (e.g., 30 feet), sufficient time will be provided after anoncoming motorist′ vehicle strikes the safety marker and the screamerdevice emits its wailing sound or warning message for the emergencyresponder to jump out of harm's way.

This early warning detection feature of the safety marker system of thepresent invention may be analogized to a baseball game. If a batter hitsa pitched baseball travelling at 100 mph, the resulting hit ball alsotravelling at approximately 100 mph will travel the 60 feet to reach thepitcher in approximately 0.41 seconds. But it will not reach anoutfielder standing 350 feet from home plate for 2.39 seconds. If theaccident scene is analogized to being located in the outfield, and thesafety marker is analogized to being located at home plate, then theemergency responder located at the accident scene will receive much moreadvanced warning provided by the deployed safety marker of the potentialdanger posed by the incoming vehicle than if he was standing on thepitcher's mound.

The safety marker 30 of the present invention will provide an alert inadvance to the emergency responder at the safety marker for a variety ofdifferent combinations of incoming vehicle speed and distance travelled,as shown below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Distance from Incoming Vehicle Accident Scene Warning Time Speed(mph) (yards) (sec.) 60 50 1.7 60 100 3.4 60 200 6.8 60 ¼ mile 15 45 502.3 45 100 4.5 45 200 9 45 ¼ mile 20For example, if the incoming vehicle is approaching the accident sceneat 60 mph and strikes a safety marker deployed 50 yards ahead of theaccident scene, the emergency responder will receive approximately 1.7seconds of advanced warning provided by the screamer in the safetymarker before the vehicle actually reaches the accident scene. On theother hand, if the safety marker is deployed 200 yards ahead of theaccident scene, the emergency responder will receive approximately 6.8seconds of advanced warning for the same incoming vehicle travelling at60 mph. If the safety marker is deployed instead one-quarter mile aheadof the accident scene, then the advanced warning provided to theemergency responder will increase to 15 seconds for the same incomingvehicle travelling at 60 mph. Thus, this early warning feature providedby the safety marker of the present invention may save the life of theemergency responder, or at least protect him from serious bodily injury.

As an additional safety measure, the emergency responder may be equippedwith a small remote transponder containing a speaker worn on, e.g., thelapel of his uniform. The speaker may contain a radio frequency receiverin communication with a corresponding RF transmitter 280 connected tothe screamer device 62 in the base of the safety marker. This willenable the wailing sound or audible warning message emitted by thescreamer device 62 to be transmitted directly to the lapel remotespeaker so that the emergency responder can more easily hear the warningabove the traffic noise before the oncoming motorist strikes him.

The safety marker 30 of the present invention may be stored in theemergency responder's vehicle, as shown in FIG. 13. In this example, thetrunk 192 of a police car 16 can contain a charging station 194. The oneor more safety markers 30 stored inside the trunk 192 may be connectedvia power cords 196 to the charging station 194, so that they are fullycharged and ready for deployment if the policeman encounters an accidentscene. Alternatively, the trunk may come equipped with a storage baywith a built-in charger for one unit to eight units of the safetymarkers. The multiple safety markers can be stored, one facing right andone facing left. The charging unit is built into each bay. Theindividual safety markers snap into the bay for easy usage and charging.In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 14, a rack 198 containing twosafety markers can be connected to the back cage 196 of the policevehicle for easy access and deployment by the policeman. Charger unit197 keeps the batteries of the safety markers 30 charged for ready useat an accident scene.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a remotely-actuatedbumper deployment system 210 for the safety markers 30, as shown inFIGS. 15-19 b. A deployment case 212 is contained inside the back bumperof, e.g., a police car, as shown in FIG. 16. It can be attractivelydesigned to appear like a natural extension of the bumper.

Contained inside the deployment case 212 is a vacuum-formed cradle 214that bears the contoured shape of two safety markers 30 on their sideand protects the safety markers from damage, as shown in FIGS. 17-18.This cradle 214 has a bottom wall 216 and opposite side walls 218.Attached to the side walls 218 are horizontally disposed axes 220. Theaxes 220 in turn are attached to cog wheels 222. The cog wheels, inturn, are operatively engaged by drive wheels 224 operated by a motor228.

A lid 230 along the top of the deployment case 212 (see FIG. 16) can belifted to allow each safety marker 30 to be inserted into its respectivecradle 214. The cradles also have electrical contacts around theirperimeter to allow the batteries inside the safety markers to be chargedwhile they are stored in the cradles. Doors 232 are disposed across thebottom of the deployment case 212 for discharge of the safety markers.

FIG. 19A shows the cradle 214 containing a safety marker 30 in itsstandby storage position. At the push by the policeman of a buttonlocated inside the police car, electric current is delivered to themotor 228 inside the deployment case 212. The energized motor causes thedrive wheels 224 to in turn rotate the cog wheels 222 engaged by thedrive wheels (see FIG. 19B). The rotated cog wheels will rotate thecradle 214 like a carriage until it is turned upside down, as shown inFIGS. 17a and 17b . At the same time, the doors 232 are moved to theiropen position to create an opening across the bottom of the deploymentcase 212. The safety marker 30 drops to the ground by means of gravity.Upon hitting the ground, it will self-actuate to extend the light arraypanel 44 and turn on all on-board electronics including the lights 52,leaving the emergency responder to continue on with his work. In thismanner, the emergency responder can deploy one or more safety markers 30ahead of the accident scene on or along the roadway 14 without leavinghis vehicle to provide a warning if an oncoming motorist should strikethe deployed safety marker 30. The emergency responder may perform thisdeployment of the safety markers remotely without any need to get out ofthe car and face the risk of physical injury caused by reckless-drivenoncoming vehicles. When the accident scene is cleared, the emergencyresponder may simply back up the car and reach down through the windowto retrieve each deployed safety marker unit, returning them to thecarriage on the back bumper when time permits.

The deployment case 212 or cradle 214 may also be equipped with a heaterthat warms the safety markers 30 stored therein to prevent them fromfreezing.

In another embodiment of the remote deployed device 230 shown in FIGS.20-22, the safety marker 30 is stored in a horizontal orientation inside“breakable” housing 232 having a bottom wall 234 (see FIG. 20). As shownmore clearly in FIGS. 21-22, the housing comprises two housing halves236 and 238 that separate along break line 240. The housing halves mayoptimally be hinged along point 242. Piston 244 having bearing surface246 extends inside the housing walls adjacent to the side of the safetymarker when the piston is in its retracted position. A push button inthe emergency responder's vehicle may be pressed by the emergencyresponder to deliver electrical current to an electric actuator 248 (seeFIG. 22) or an explosive squib 249 (see FIG. 21) that are actuated tomove the piston 244 and bearing surface 246 to the right to physicallypush the safety marker against the housing walls 336 and 238 to breakthem open along point 240 to release the safety marker. The safetymarker will fall to the ground for deployment to extend the light wandand turn on its lights, as described above.

Still another remotely-actuated deployment system 250 is shown in FIGS.23-25. It comprises a vertically disposed tubular housing 252 which isideal for taller emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, orhighway construction or maintenance trucks (see FIG. 23). The safetymarker 30 is stored vertically within the housing 252, held in positionby a pin 256 operably mounted in the housing wall that extends into aniche 258 formed in the base 32 of the safety marker, as shown in FIG.24. Alternatively, it can rest upon a pair of spring-actuated doors 254that close off the bottom opening of the housing, as shown in FIG. 25.

When the emergency responder wishes to deploy the safety marker, hepushes a button located inside the emergency vehicle. The pushed buttondelivers electrical current to an electric actuator or a cable-actuatedlatch which operates to withdraw pin 256 from engagement with the niche258 in the safety marker. This allows the safety marker to drop by meansof gravity against bottom doors 254. The weight of the safety markerovercomes the bias force of the spring to push the doors 254 to theiropened position. In this manner, the safety marker is free to fall tothe ground. Upon hitting the ground, it will self-actuate to extend thelight array panel 44 and turn on all on-board electronics including thelights 52, leaving the emergency responder to continue on with his work.In this manner, the emergency responder can deploy one or more safetymarkers 30 ahead of the accident scene on or along the roadway 14without leaving his vehicle to provide a warning if an oncoming motoristshould strike the deployed safety marker 30. The emergency responder mayperform this deployment of the safety markers remotely without any needto get out of the car and face the risk of physical injury caused byreckless-driven oncoming vehicles. When the accident scene is cleared,the emergency responder may simply back up the car and reach downthrough the window to retrieve each deployed safety marker unit,returning them to the carriage on the back bumper when time permits.

Under the present invention, the safety marker 30 may preferably alsocontain a transmitter 285 for emitting an emergency radar signal.Instead of detecting the proximity of an incoming vehicle driving at adangerous speed, this transmitter constantly sends out a feedback radarsignal triggered by the deployment of the safety marker, itself. Somemodels of cars and trucks today are equipped with on-board radarcapabilities used to detect objects like other cars and animals in frontof the vehicle and alert the driver to the presence of that object, sothat the driver can apply the brakes to stop the vehicle in time beforea crash occurs. Some such vehicles even contain systems forautomatically applying the brakes to avoid a crash. The emergency radarsignal of the present invention is transmitted at the same frequencyused by the onboard radar safety devices in the vehicles in order totrigger an audible or dashboard warning light provided to the driver toalert him to slow down or switch lanes to avoid the accident scene aheadon or beside the roadway 14. This feature is very useful in foggyconditions when visibility for drivers is low.

Another feature of the safety marker 30 intended to enhance the safetyof the emergency responder is based upon GPS tracking technology. A GPStracking unit is a device that uses the Global Positioning System todetermine the precise location of a vehicle, person, or other asset towhich it has been attached, and to record the position of that asset atregular intervals. The recorded location data can be stored within thetracking unit, or it may be transmitted to a central location database,or Internet-connected computer, using a cellular (GPRS or SMS), radio,or satellite modem embedded in the unit. This allows the asset'slocation to be tracked using GPS tracking software.

A GPS tracker 290 contains a GPS module to receive the GPS signal, andto calculate coordinates. The tracker acts as a data pusher to send theposition of the safety marker 30 to a pre-designated server at, e.g. thecentral dispatcher for the emergency responder's department. When thehigh-impact sensor switch 60 is triggered by an incoming vehiclestriking the safety marker 30, the sensor sends a signal to the GPStracker 290 to prompt it to send the location coordinates for the safetymarker and associated accident scene to the central dispatcher. In thismanner, the central manager can promptly contact the emergency responderby radio communication to determine whether he has been injured by theincoming motorist's vehicle, and send backup emergency responders ifneeded.

Another useful functionality for the GPS tracker 290 is as a locator forplanning purposes, as shown in FIG. 26. The safety marker 30 has amanual activation switch 116. An emergency responder arriving at apotentially hazardous emergency site like a landslide that is covering aroad, or a bridge that is damaged can deploy the safety marker 30 asdescribed above, and then use the manual switch 116 to send the specificlocation of the safety marker to the central dispatcher via the GPStracker 290. The emergency responder can leave the safety marker 30behind if he needs to leave the emergency scene to address anothersituation elsewhere. The central dispatcher can send backup emergencyresponders or road construction crews to the emergency scene withconfidence that they can use the GPS coordinate signals pushed out bythe deployed safety marker 30 to find the correct accident scene.

Yet another useful functionality for the safety marker 30 of the presentinvention is for GPS triangulation. Helicopters are often sent toaccident or emergency scenes. The GPS triangulation is based on three orfour safety markers 30 that will be placed at precise locations toachieve maximum accuracy for ILS landings, as shown in FIG. 27. Theemergency responder will survey the accident scene or emergency scenelocation, looking for overhead power or telephone wires and otherobstructions like trees. They would then choose a starting point. Aprogrammed iPad will show the person activating the triangulationprogram exactly where to place three or four safety markers. Thesoftware positioning program will not allow any of the safety markers tobe activated until they are deployed at the exact position for a safehelicopter approach. This means that within the designated space definedby the deployed safety markers, there will be plenty of room for ahelicopter to descend and land safely. The safety markers will alsoactivate the LED lights and strobes for a visual approach by thehelicopter pilot. As long as the helicopter stays within thetriangulated area, the helicopter will have a safe descent.

Still another useful functionality for the safety marker 30 of thepresent invention is the inclusion of a gunshot sensor 270 (see FIG. 4).Emergency responders to an accident or crime scene may expose themselvesto gun fire, particularly in high-crime urban areas. An emergencyresponder like a policeman may not be on the look out for a potentialshooter because the immediate focus is on the investigation at theaccident or crime scene or providing help to injured victims.

A policeman who is shot may not necessarily be able to radio to hiscentral dispatch unit for assistance. This problem is compounded by thefact that police or other law enforcement departments frequently staff acar with a single policeman without a partner who can provide assistanceto the injured policeman or radio for help. Therefore, a gunshot sensor270 contained within the deployed safety marker 30 at the accident scenethat can detect the gun shot and transmit this information to thecentral dispatcher along with the GPS location coordinates for thesafety marker and associated accident scene where the potentially shotpoliceman is located would be enormously helpful.

There are three primary attributes that characterize gunfire and henceenable the detection and location of gunfire and similar weapondischarges. An optical flash occurs when an explosive charge is ignitedto propel the bullet from the chamber of the gun. A muzzle blast alsooccurs when the explosive charge is ignited to propel the bullet fromthe chamber of the weapon. A typical muzzle blast generates an impulsesound wave with a sound pressure level that ranges from 120 dB to 160dB. Finally, a “snap” or “crack” occurs as the bullet moves through theair at supersonic speeds.

The gunshot sensor 270 may use sound and visual or infrared light todetect the incidence of the gunshot. For example, SST, Inc. of Newark,California produces a gunshot detection system called “ShotSpotter” thatuses acoustical sensors in the form of microphones and related equipmentto detect the sonic boom from the muzzle blast, indicating the possibleoccurrence of a gunshot. It uses algorithms to determine whether thenoise was emitted by a firearm, as opposed to a fireworks display or carbackfiring.

Optical or electro-optical systems detect either the physical phenomenonof the muzzle flash of a bullet being fired or the heat caused by thefriction of the bullet as it moves through the air. Such systems requirethat they have a line of sight to the area where the weapon is beingfired or the projectile while it is in motion. Although a general lineof sight to the shot event is required, detections are sometimesavailable as the infrared flash event bounces off surrounding structure.Just like acoustic based systems, electro-optical systems can generallybe degraded by specialized suppression devices that minimize their soundor optical signatures.

Acoustic and optical sensors can be co-located and their data can befused thereby enabling the gunshot location processing to have a moreexact discharge time that can be used to calculate the distance of thedischarge to the sensors with the greatest possible precision. Opticalsystems are (essentially) not limited to the number of individual shotsbeing fired or the number of different shooters simultaneously shooting,which allows optical-based sensing to easily declare and locate shootersconducting ambushes that employ multiple shooters, shooting frommultiple locations during the same time period.

The gunshot sensor 270 contained in the safety marker 30 of the presentinvention can also be used to locate the gunshot. In this case, multiplegunshot sensors 270 located in multiple safety markers or on a policecar can be used to enable the process of acoustic triangulation. Becausethe speed of sound is a known entity—340.29 meters per second (0.21miles per second) at sea level—the difference in the time it takes forthe sound of a gunshot to reach three different sensors can determinethe location of that gunshot. Using a built-in GPS system as an accuratetime source, three sensors work together to triangulate the locationfrom which a shot was fired. For example, a shot is fired somewhere inthe city near the accident scene. Sensor 1 picks up the sound of theshot. Since each acoustic sensor has a range of about 2 miles, all weknow right now is that the shot was fired within a 2-mile radius ofSensor 1. One second later, a second sensor picks up the sound waves ofa gunshot. If sound in this city travels at about 0.21 miles per second,we now know that the shot was fired approximately one-fifth of a milefarther away from Sensor 2 than from Sensor 1. We can draw a circlerepresenting the perception radius of Sensor 2 overlapping theperception radius of Sensor 1—since both sensors picked up the soundwaves, the shot must have been fired within the overlapping coverageareas. Where the two circles intersect, we have two possible locationsfor our gunshot. To figure out which of these two points is the locationfrom which the shot was fired, we need to find a third sensor thatpicked up the sound of the shot. A third sensor, located to the south ofSensors 1 and 2, picked up the sound waves a half-second after Sensor 2detected them. This would put the origin of the sound about one-tenth ofa mile farther from Sensor 3 than from Sensor 2. We now have our gunshotlocation, at least in terms of distance from the sensors. The systemthen uses built-in GPS receivers to convert that known point intolatitude and longitude coordinates, and passes the information to thecentral dispatcher. The ShotSpotter system uses such acousticaltriangulation to detect the location of gunshots. According to SST, thesystem is accurate to 25 meters (82 feet) or less—far less than thelength of a typical city block. Because the sensors themselves are aboutthe size of a thick stick of gum, they can easily fit inside the safetymarker 30.

In another embodiment of the safety marker system of the presentinvention, the safety marker can comprise a hand-held device 320, asshown in FIG. 28. It comprises a power source, a light panel, aprotective shield for the light panel, and electronic circuitry forcontrolling the operation of the lights in a predetermined frequency orpattern. One or more of the lights may be colored or operate in a strobepattern for enhanced visibility for the motorists.

The safety marker 320 is shown more clearly in FIG. 29. It compromises ahandle 330. A plurality of batteries 331 are positioned inside thehandle. These batteries are wired together to provide the necessaryelectrical power source to the light bulbs of the light array wand 332in the safety marker 320. The batteries may be replaceable.Alternatively, they may be rechargeable with a plug provided in thehandle sidewall for a power cord. By positioning the batteries in thehandle, they are protected from moisture and other adverse weatherelements.

Also located within handle 330 above the battery pack 331 is lowerelectronics housing 334 with upper electronics housing 336 above it.Extending from the top of handle 330 radiating around its perimeter iscollar 338. Extending vertically from the top of upper electronicshousing 336 is light array wand 332. Similar to the stand-alone safetymarker 30 described above, the wand comprises a light array panelcontained inside a transparent carrier tube 333. The light array panelcomprises a core substrate, which can adopt any suitable shape such as asquare prism or a cylinder. It preferably is three-dimensional forproviding surfaces that are visible in 360°. The carrier tube 333 ispreferably cylindrical with a circular cross section since such a shapewill accommodate a square prism or cylindrical core substrate. But, thecarrier tube may adopt any other shape such as a square, triangular, orrectangular cross section that is capable of containing the shape ofcore substrate, and protecting it from the weather elements (i.e., rain,snow, sunshine, heat).

Positioned along the core substrate are a plurality of light bulbs 338.These light bulbs may compromise incandescent, LED, CFL, fluorescentlamps, or any other suitable emitter of light. The light bulbs may bepositioned in a single row or multiple rows along the core substrate.Preferably, the light bulbs are positioned sufficiently around theperimeter of core substitute to enable the core substrate to emit lightin an arc of 90-360°, preferably 150-360°, even more preferably 360°. Inthis manner, an approaching motorist will see the light emitted by thelight bulbs positioned along core substrate regardless of the specificorientation of the safety marker 120 along roadway 12 with respect tothe angle of the approaching motorist. Light output is measuredprimarily in lumens. A single LED bulb can produce from 2 to 200 lumensin light output depending upon how it is driven. Adding more individualLED bulbs will increase the lumen output. The light bulbs 338 containedin the light array wand should produce approximately 2 to 20,000 lumensof light output.

The light bulbs 338 contained in the light array wand may be colored foradded visibility to the approaching motorist. For example, the lightbulbs may be red or blue, which are colors reserved for police and otherlaw enforcement officials. Alternatively, the light array may be brokenup into alternating segments of red and blue lamps. In anotheralternative embodiment, all the lamps in the light array may be whitewith the transparent carrier tube instead colored red or blue oralternating red and blue segments.

Because the safety marker 320 of the present invention is also usefulfor non-law enforcement personnel, such as tow truck operators, roadconstruction crews, or utility equipment repairmen, the light array maycontain instead yellow light bulbs. Alternatively, it may contain whitelight bulbs shining through a yellow-colored transparent carrier tube.Yellow safety warning lights are widely associated by motorists with aconstruction or repair scene that requires motorists to slow their speedto pass or switch to a lane further away from the stopped vehicles topass.

To add further visibility to the safety marker 320 of the presentinvention, the lights 338 contained in the light array panel 332 mayblink on and off in a constant or timed cycle. A strobe light beacon 340may also be positioned on top of the light array wand to emit apulsating white light.

To address reduced night-time visibility, one or more bands 342 offluorescent color like orange, yellow, or green may be positioned alongthe circumference of light wand 332. The bands will be reflected by theheadlights of approaching motorists. They may be provided to thestanchion tube by means of paint or reflective tape.

Contained inside the lower electronics housing 334 are a plurality ofcircuit boards 348 that provide the necessary electronic circuitry forthe operation of safety marker 320. This includes the circuitry 350connected to the screamer module 352 and its circuitry connected to thehigh-impact sensor switch 354 that in turn is located near the top ofthe light array wand 332; and early-warning radar transponder 356 andits circuitry that transmits a warning signal to on-board radar signalreceivers that that are increasingly available in automobiles as asafety feature. Such on-board receivers will receive and communicate tothe oncoming driver a transmitted warning signal or message for theaccident scene ahead along the roadway to enhance the chances of thedriver slowing down his speed or switching to the left-hand lane inorder to exercise caution when passing the accident scene.

Mounted to the exterior of the housing 334 is a small solar panel 360that captures sunlight and converts it into on-board photovoltaic powerfor the safety marker. Circuitry contained inside the electronics bay334 provides this photovoltaic power as electric current to the circuitboards 348 and electronic components contained inside the safety markerto extend the battery life of the safety marker.

Upper electronics housing 336 contains GPS location detector andtransmitter 362 described more fully below for producing locationcoordinates for the safety marker. This data is transmitted to a centraldispatcher as described above for providing an accurate location of theaccident scene in case backup assistance needs to be sent to theemergency responders at the accident scene.

Screamer speaker 364 is mounted to the exterior of housing 336. Thisspeaker is connected via its electrical circuit to screamer module 366to emit the emergency warning sound or message if an oncoming motoriststrikes the safety marker 320 near the accident scene and actuateshigh-impact sensor witch 354. This warning sound or message enables theemergency responder at the accident scene to jump to a safe location toavoid physical injury.

Also mounted to upper electronics housing 336 is on/off switch 370. Theemergency responder can use this switch 370 to manually turn on and offlights bulbs 338 contained in the hand-held safety marker 320. Unlikesafety marker 30, this hand-held embodiment 320 of the safety markerdevice does not contain a low-impact sensor switch that is actuated whenthe safety marker is dropped on the ground or other hard surface.Instead, it must be manually turned on.

Also mounted to upper electronics housing 336 is screamer switch 372.This switch is used by the emergency responder to manually turn on andoff the screamer module 366 that emits the emergency warning sound ormessage if an oncoming motorist strikes the safety marker 320 near theaccident scene and actuates high-impact sensor witch 354.

Finally day/night switch 374 is mounted to upper electronics housing336. LED bulbs 338 in particular need to be bright enough duringdaylight hours to be seen by oncoming motorists. But, their high lumenintensity often makes them too bright during nighttime hours. Thus, thisswitch 374 may be integrated with the circuitry for the lights 338 toeither turn off some of the light bulbs during nighttime deploymenthours, turn on and off separate sets of light bulbs having differentwattages for daylight versus nighttime hours (higher wattages fordaylight, lower wattages for nighttime), or act to reduce the voltagedirected to the light bulbs to dim their lumen intensity.

Finally, mounted to lower electronics housing 334 is gunshot sensor 378,as further described below.

The hand-held unit 320 may be used by an emergency responder to directtraffic at an accident scene, or to set up a work zone for utilityworkers, highway construction or maintenance workers, etc. The emergencyresponder or other user of the device may turn on the light bulbs 338contained inside the light array wand 332 using the on/off switch 370 asdescribed above, and direct oncoming vehicular traffic with confidencethat the directions or other motions will be seen by the drivers.

Alternatively, the collar 322 connected around the handle 330 of thesafety marker 320 allows the device to be conveniently mounted to thetop of a conventional traffic cone 322 to provide a deployed, lightedsafety marker, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 30. Accordingly, it is importantto enhance the safety and well-being of an emergency responder at anaccident scene. Therefore, an incursion detection system is provided inthe form of the high-impact sensor switch 354 that is positioned nearthe top of the light array wand 332 of the safety marker 320. Itcomprises an inertia switch or a shock sensor switch, such as the onesavailable from Select Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, N.Y. The high-impactsensor switch operates to measure the degree of impact created on thesafety marker by an incoming motor vehicle driven by an inattentive,impaired, or reckless motorist hitting the safety marker, and may beadjusted for a predetermined triggering speed threshold. If the impactexceeds the equivalent of, e.g., twenty miles per hours, then thehigh-impact sensor will actuate via a separate switch in the circuitryan on-board screamer device which is connected to a speaker mounted tothe base of the safety marker 320. The screamer device will emit a loudwailing sound or audible warning message that can be heard by theemergency responder. By prepositioning the safety marker 320 apredetermined distance from the accident scene towards the oncomingtraffic (e.g., 30 feet), and turning on switch 372 to activate thescreamer functionality, sufficient time will be provided after anoncoming motorist's vehicle strikes the safety marker and the screamerdevice emits its wailing sound or warning message for the emergencyresponder to jump out of harm's way.

As an additional safety measure, the emergency responder may be equippedwith a small remote transponder containing a speaker worn on, e.g., thelapel of his uniform. The speaker may contain a radio frequency receiverin communication with a corresponding RF transmitter connected to thescreamer device in the base of the safety marker. This will enable thewailing sound or audible warning message emitted by the screamer deviceto be transmitted directly to the lapel remote speaker so that theemergency responder can more easily hear the warning above the trafficnoise before the oncoming motorist strikes him.

The safety marker 320 may preferably also contain the transmitter 356for emitting an emergency radar signal. Instead of detecting theproximity of an incoming vehicle at a dangerous speed, this transmitterconstantly sends out a feedback radar signal triggered by the deploymentof the safety marker, itself. Some models of cars and trucks today areequipped with on-board radar capabilities used to detect objects likeother cars and animals in front of the vehicle and alert the driver tothe presence of that object, so that the driver can apply the brakes tostop the vehicle in time before a crash occurs. Some such vehicles evencontain systems for automatically applying the brakes to avoid a crash.The emergency radar signal of the present invention is transmitted atthe same frequency used by the onboard radar safety devices in thevehicles in order to trigger an audible or dashboard warning lightprovided to the driver to alert him to slow down or switch lanes toavoid the accident scene ahead on or beside the roadway 12. This featureis very useful in foggy conditions when visibility for drivers is low.

Another feature of the safety marker 320 intended to enhance the safetyof the emergency responder is based upon GPS tracking technology. TheGPS tracking unit 362 is a device that uses the Global PositioningSystem to determine the precise location of a vehicle, person, or otherasset to which it has been attached, and to record the position of thatasset at regular intervals. The recorded location data can be storedwithin the tracking unit, or it may be transmitted to a central locationdatabase, or Internet-connected computer, using a cellular (GPRS orSMS), radio, or satellite modem embedded in the unit. This allows theasset's location to be tracked using GPS tracking software.

A GPS tracker contains a GPS module to receive the GPS signal, and tocalculate coordinates. The tracker acts as a data pusher to send theposition of the safety marker 320 to a pre-designated server at, e.g.the central dispatcher for the emergency responder's department. Whenthe high-impact sensor switch is triggered by an incoming vehiclestriking the safety marker 320, the sensor sends a signal to the GPStracker to prompt it to send the location coordinates for the safetymarker and associated accident scene to the central dispatcher. In thismanner, the central manager can promptly contact the emergency responderby radio communication to determine whether he has been injured by theincoming motorist's vehicle, and send backup emergency responders ifneeded.

Another functionality for the GPS tracker is as a locator for planningpurposes. An emergency responder arriving at a potentially hazardousemergency site like a landslide that is covering a road, or a bridgethat is damaged can deploy the safety marker 320 on top of a trafficcone 322, as described above, and then use the manual switch to send thespecific location of the safety marker to the central dispatcher via theGPS tracker. The emergency responder can leave the safety marker 320behind if he needs to leave the emergency scene to address anothersituation elsewhere. The central dispatcher can send backup emergencyresponders or road construction crews to the emergency scene withconfidence that they can use the GPS coordinate signals pushed out bythe deployed safety marker 120 to find the correct accident scene.

Finally, gunshot sensor 378 contained in the safety marker 320 whendeployed at an accident scene or crime scene will allow the occurrenceof a gunshot to be transmitted to a central dispatcher for emergencyassistance provided to the possibly injured emergency responder. It canalso determine the location of the gunshot via acoustical triangulation,as described above, to send that information to the central dispatchertoo.

The above specification and drawings provide a complete description ofthe emergency safety marker system and associated method of the presentinvention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, the inventionresides in the claims hereinafter appended.

We claim:
 1. An electronic safety marker deployed by an emergencyresponder on or along a roadway for providing a warning of oncomingvehicles approaching an accident scene having a boundary defined by thepositioned safety marker, the safety marker comprising: (a) a source ofelectrical current; (b) electrical circuitry connected to the source ofelectrical current; (c) a self-righting base comprising a housingdefining an interior chamber and attachment means along a top surface ofthe self-righting base; (d) a light wand attached at a bottom end of thelight wand to the attachment means in the base, the light wandcomprising a plurality of lights connected to the electrical circuit;(e) impact-actuated deployment means interposed in the electricalcircuit; (f) a transmitter mounted to the safety marker for continuouslytransmitting a signal to a receiver; (g) a receiver positioned adistance from the safety marker for receiving a signal from thetransmitter and including an alarm; (h) wherein when the safety markeris released from above ground level by the emergency responder and hitsthe ground or other hard surface, the impact-actuated deployment meansis actuated upon impact to deliver electrical current to the pluralityof lights to turn them on to a lighted state to provide warning of theaccident scene to the oncoming vehicles, and the safety markerautomatically orients to an upright, vertical position; and (i) whereinwhen the safety marker is struck by an oncoming vehicle, the transmitterceases sending a signal to the receiver and the receiver issues analarm.
 2. The safety marker of claim 1, wherein the impact-actuateddeployment means comprises a low-impact sensor switch.
 3. The safetymarker of claim 1, wherein the impact-actuated deployment meanscomprises a first contact plate and a second contact plate positioned insubstantially parallel alignment inside the chamber in the base, whereinthe impact upon the base by the ground or other hard surface against thedropped safety marker deflects the first contact plate against thesecond contact plate to complete an electrical circuit to deliverelectrical current to the plurality of lights to turn them on to alighted state.
 4. The safety marker of claim 1 further comprising astanchion tube telescoping means attached at a bottom end of thestanchion tube telescoping means to the attachment means in the basewith the light wand slidably contained inside the stanchion tube betweena retracted, standby position and an extended, actuated position,wherein when the safety marker is released from above ground level bythe emergency responder with the light wand in the retracted, standbyposition, and the safety marker hits the ground or other hard surface,the deployment means is actuated upon impact to cause the light wand tomove to the extended, actuated position, and to deliver electricalcurrent to the plurality of lights to turn them on to an elevatedlighted state to provide warning of the accident scene to the oncomingvehicles.
 5. The safety marker of claim 1, wherein the housing of thebase comprises an impact-resistant, elastomeric material to enhance theactuation of the impact-actuated deployment mechanism upon impact by theground or other hard surface against the dropped safety marker.
 6. Thesafety marker of claim 1 further comprising a solar panel positionedalong the safety marker for gathering photovoltaic energy to producesupplemental electrical current.
 7. The safety marker of claim 1 furthercomprising a delay circuitry incorporated into the impact-actuateddeployment mechanism for producing a delay period after theimpact-actuated deployment mechanism is actuated by impact with theground or other hard surface against the dropped safety marker beforethe lights in the light wand are turned on.
 8. The safety marker ofclaim 4 further comprising a delay circuitry incorporated into theimpact-actuated deployment mechanism for producing a delay period afterthe impact-actuated deployment mechanism is actuated by impact by theground or other hard surface against the dropped safety marker beforethe light wand is moved from the retracted, standby position to theextended, actuated position.
 9. The safety marker of claim 1 furthercomprising a location detector and transmitter that uses GPStriangulation to determine the location of the safety marker, andautomatically transmits the GPS coordinates to a central dispatcher orother party associated with the emergency responder to communicate thelocation of the accident scene.
 10. The safety marker of claim 9 furthercomprising a gunshot sensor that detects the presence of a gun-shotwithin the proximity of the safety marker, and automatically transmitsthe occurrence of the gun-shot along with the GPS coordinates for theaccident scene to a central dispatcher or other party associated withthe emergency responder.
 11. The safety device of claim 1 furthercomprising an early warning radar transponder for transmitting a warningmessage to an oncoming vehicle of the presence of an accident scene upahead along the roadway.
 12. The safety marker of claim 4, wherein theimpact-actuated deployment mechanism comprises a gear and grid stripassembly for moving the light wand to the extended, actuated position inresponse to the actuation of the impact-actuated deployment mechanismupon impact by the ground or other hard surface against the droppedsafety marker.
 13. The safety marker of claim 4, wherein theimpact-actuated deployment mechanism comprises a gas propulsion assemblyfor moving the light wand to the extended, actuated position in responseto the actuation of the impact-actuated deployment mechanism upon impactby the ground or other hard surface against the dropped safety marker.14. The safety marker of claim 4, wherein the impact-actuated deploymentmechanism comprises a compression spring assembly for moving the lightwand to the extended, actuated position in response to the actuation ofthe impact-actuated deployment mechanism upon impact by the ground orother hard surface against the dropped safety marker.
 15. The safetymarker of claim 4, wherein the impact-actuated deployment mechanismcomprises a jack screw assembly for moving the light wand to theextended, actuated position in response to the actuation of theimpact-actuated deployment mechanism upon impact by the ground or otherhard surface against the dropped safety marker.
 16. The safety marker ofclaim 1, wherein the receiver is located in a vehicle within a distancecapable of receiving the signal from the transmitter.
 17. An electronicsafety marker deployed on or along a roadway for providing a warning ofoncoming vehicles approaching an accident scene having a boundarydefined by the positioned safety marker, the safety marker comprising:(a) a source of electrical current; (b) electrical circuitry connectedto the source of electrical current; (c) a transmitter mounted to thesafety marker for continuously transmitting a signal to a receiver; (d)a receiver having an alarm positioned a distance from the transmitterfor receiving a signal from the transmitter; (e) a remote deploymentmechanism comprises a piston-actuated means for pushing the safetymarker through a break-through housing wall so that the safety markercan drop from a vertical storage orientation onto the ground or otherhard surface for deployment; and (f) wherein when the safety marker isstruck by an oncoming vehicle, the transmitter ceases sending a signalto the receiver and the receiver issues an alarm.
 18. An electronicsafety marker deployed on or along a roadway for providing a warning ofoncoming vehicles approaching an accident scene having a boundarydefined by the positioned safety marker, the safety marker comprising:(a) a source of electrical current; (b) electrical circuitry connectedto the source of electrical current; (c) a transmitter mounted to thesafety marker for continuously transmitting a signal to a receiver; (d)a receiver having an alarm positioned a distance from the transmitterfor receiving a signal from the transmitter; (e) a remote deploymentmechanism that comprises an electrically actuated latch orcable-actuated latch for pulling a pin that secured the safety markerinside a vertical storage housing to allow the safety marker to droponto the ground or other hard surface for deployment; and (f) whereinwhen the safety marker is struck by an oncoming vehicle, the transmitterceases sending a signal to the receiver and the receiver issues analarm.
 19. The electronic safety marker system of claim 1 wherein thealarm set off by the receiver is one or more lights, one or more soundsor a combination of light and sound.